


A Change of Pace

by Abbyyynormal



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, The Little Mermaid (1989), The Little Mermaid - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Coming of Age, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Disney, Disney Movies, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Princes & Princesses, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22045846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abbyyynormal/pseuds/Abbyyynormal
Summary: Set seven years after The Little Mermaid II, Ariel and Melody have continued to return to the seas. However, what happens if Eric decides to join them for a trip? (Teen rating just to be on the safe side.)
Relationships: Ariel & Melody (Disney), Ariel & Triton (Disney), Ariel/Eric (Disney), Melody/OC (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Jealous Goodbyes

"Father!" The sound of bare feet running across tile echoed down the corridor alongside Melody's voice. It was not what most would deem suitable for a princess, especially when it wouldn't be long before Melody was seen wearing trousers and a tank top. Grimsby would find it most unsettling to see the twenty year old in anything other than a proper gown and heels but that didn't matter on days like today. The call down the hallway and Melody's choice of attire meant that she would be joining her mother in a trip to Atlantica.

As Eric exited his study, Melody sprinted to give him a hug. Eric chuckled, bracing himself on the door frame with one hand. "Mel, I think you may be getting a tad old for this," he said. "Or I'm possibly too old for it."

Melody laughed and straightened herself out. "Sorry... I guess that saying goodbye to you like that is kind of our thing, don't you think?" She grinned at him and brushed her thick, black bangs out of her eyes. They were long overdue for a trim, that was for certain, but nothing beat feeling the cool water of the ocean running through her hair. Long ago she had forgone the ribbon which had held her hair up and out of her face. Now, she thrived on feeling her hair be messed up in the wind on land and by the waves in the sea. It was a simple reminder of her life between the two elements.

"Yes, I suppose so," Eric conceded. "I may need to look into some new ways to prevent me from falling over then. Where is your mother?" Melody waited patiently as her father fastened his boot straps before following her out. While Melody had always been fond of her father's presence, it became even more clear when she was preparing to leave him behind for trips. Eric was not sure why she seemed so worried about leaving him behind. He had his royal duties to attend to and with Ariel and Melody gone, he seemed to get more done than any other time. Perhaps it was because he practically locked himself away in his study whilst they were gone or because his time was filled with committees and meetings nearly daily. Eric didn't mind keeping busy at all. It allowed him more time to interact with pair while they were in the castle.

The time he had with Melody was even more precious now as she was beginning her courting processes. Over the past few weeks she had been visited by many suitors, near and far, but had not seemed to take to any of them. The kingdom had been shocked to find out that they would not be receiving a royal wedding around Melody's eighteenth birthday. The shock only continued when it was revealed that Melody would not be seeing suitors until she reached the age of twenty. By the time that their queen had been Melody's age, she had been married for almost five years and was caring for a three year old. However, around the time that the wall came down, Ariel and Eric had agreed that they wanted to wait until Melody was older. They wanted her to experience the world in front of her. For twelve years she had been denied one half of her being and the couple wanted to right that wrong. Instead of worrying about courting procedures and hosting princes from all around, Melody could instead focus on herself. No longer just the land version of herself, but the sea version as well.

"Melody, there you are," a calm voice said. Ariel smiled upon seeing the pair and patted Melody's cheek. "I know you're anxious to get your fins back and dive far away from all of the royal drama on land, but that doesn't mean you can lose your head like this." There was no scolding tone in her voice, merely a sense of redirection. Melody huffed a bit at it but held up the empty bag at her side.

"Mother, I'm already ready to go," she said. "All I ever need is a goodbye to Father where I nearly knock him off his feet and my seashell bag." Melody gave Eric a look that said "Can you believe her?" before walking off in the direction of the ocean.

Ariel took Eric's hand in her's, intertwining their fingers, and sighed. "I know she's right but admitting that isn't one of my favorite things to do." She smiled as Eric stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, following their daughter at a leisurely pace. Just as Melody had her own goodbye to Eric, Ariel did as well. She often missed the sea a great deal, much more than she ever thought she would. She had so desperately wished to leave it but once granted the life on land by her father, it was difficult not to miss the place she had grown up. Moments like these, where the only thing she felt was the warmth of Eric's hand and the occasional shoulder bump, reminded her that everything had been more than worth it.

Eric laughed as he let Ariel through the castle door which led to the ocean front. Melody was already about ankle deep in the water, scanning for signs of King Triton. "I'll keep that our little secret then, love." He led Ariel to the water just in time to witness King Triton rise from the waters. Melody quickly flung herself into his arms and Eric could make out, "I've missed you so much, Grandfather!"

Just as quickly as she had jumped to give her grandfather a hug, Melody backed away enough for Triton to point his trident in her direction. Eric couldn't recall the last time that he had seen her so anxious to return to Atlantica but he was happy for her nonetheless. Melody was soon wrapped in a glowing golden light, lifted into the air as her legs blended together and turned into a bright red tail and her tank top became a set of blue shells. As soon as the transformation was complete, she dove into the waves. When she resurfaced, Melody watched as her mother went through the same process. Watching Ariel don her green tail never failed to amaze either her daughter or her husband. No matter how long she remained on land, walking would always be her second best mode of transportation. Ariel was by no means old but even at her age, she was quicker than anyone around when she had her tail. Before leaving, both women waved in Eric's direction before heading back under the water. He watched for a bit, catching Melody practicing her dives every so often, until he was certain that they were far enough away that he could see them no more. It was only then that he let his smile fall. The next week, though busy, would be dreadfully lonely. As Eric walked back to the castle, he felt the loneliness start to sink in, replacing the jealous feelings he always seemed to have when he said his goodbyes.


	2. Like a Son

Eric laid his head on his desk, allowing the cooling feeling of the wood to flow over his forehead. The previous meeting with the King of Bamor had seemed to go on for ages. The Kingdom of Bamor found it impossible to understand why the fight against pirates in the seas near both of their kingdoms was of a higher priority in recent years. It appeared to them that since nothing major had been stolen from Bamor that the pirates were not an issue. Eric had had to emphasize that while nothing on either of their lands had been affected, the lives of those below had been. The existence of merpeople was now public knowledge. King Triton had been reluctant to reveal their existence but eventually agreed nonetheless. Many neighboring kingdoms were quite welcoming to merfolk while others, such as Bamor, seemed oblivious and arguably spiteful towards the newcomers from down below. When that attitude finally reached the surface of the meeting, Grimsby had done his best to make sure that Eric did not jump across the table and instead had suggested something that would avoid violence.

“What if, Your Highnesses, this disagreement caused a rift between our kingdoms?” Grimsby had stated. “Princess Melody has been taking suitors and if I am correct, you have a son near her age?” There was a quiet grumble that indicated a “Yes” from the king and after careful consideration, he agreed to lend Eric more troops to fight the pirates occupying their waters. In exchange, his son would receive a chance to win Melody’s hand in marriage. Eric accepted his offer, though reluctantly, before sending the man out of his office.

The words which had followed between Eric and Grimsby were far from amicable. “Offering Melody up like she’s some bargaining token!” Eric had cried out. “She’s not ready for this, Grim! And to know that you of all people had put her up to this!? Good luck explaining that.” Before he was able to get another word in, Eric had slammed the door in Grimsby’s face.

Eric stood up from his desk and strolled over to the balcony of his office. It didn’t have as great of a view of the ocean as his and Ariel’s room did but it offered him solace nonetheless. He could still hear the waves and smell the sea salt in the air. The slight breeze that came off of the water put him at ease and he could feel his facial features finally relax. 

Eric’s focus on the ocean made him oblivious to his office door opening. Carlotta had heard most of the argument between Grimsby and Eric and had grown weary of Eric being alone for so long. He always seemed to act odd when Princess Melody and Queen Ariel went to the ocean but that didn’t stop her from being worried. When she witnessed his somber stance on his balcony, Carlotta couldn’t help but frown. She had always viewed Eric as her son as she had never had one of her own. She had watched over his every move growing up, making sure that Grimsby’s pessimistic attitude had not worn off on him. Her protectiveness grew even more once Eric’s father was lost at sea. 

She could picture him running around the castle as a toddler. Eric had refused to eat any of Louis’ food and would only eat meals which Carlotta had prepared for him. On days where he was feeling particularly picky, Eric followed her around the kitchen, keeping track of her every move. If Louis did so much as even peak into the kitchen, he would soon be chased out. As he got older, Eric began to help Carlotta cook by cracking an egg here, dicing some onions there. It was those days that Carlotta remembered the most fondly.

Carlotta stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. “Grim, we can talk later but--.” Eric spun around and saw Carlotta. With a deep breath, his tense shoulders fell and he looked away. “Sorry Carlotta… Didn’t realize it was you.” 

She chuckled and began to do some cleaning up in the room. It wasn’t a mess by a long shot. Eric’s papers were always kept neat and orderly. The books on his shelves could use a bit of straightening and perhaps a bit of dusting was in order. The tidying up was merely a ruse, an attempt on Carlotta’s end to make up some form of an excuse as to why she had entered Eric’s office. “We have quite different physiques and attitudes so I’ll just take it that you were expecting him rather than me, Your Highness.” 

Eric let out a small laugh and joined her in cleaning things up a little. He felt comfort in the silence that he could endure around Carlotta. It was a type of silence that he didn’t have with anyone else. With most others, Eric didn’t want this silence. He had gone so long in a castle that was so quiet that when people had finally begun talking to him, Eric felt complete. These moments with Carlotta were different. It was comforting to know that he had someone who would be with him no matter if he felt like talking or not. Someone who was always around the castle and who he felt he could be entirely vulnerable around. Even after his long marriage to Ariel, there was a piece of him that felt Ariel needed someone strong as her partner. She had seen him at low points, that was for certain, but nowhere near as open as he was with Carlotta.

“Is it bad that I feel almost… Jealous, Carlotta?” Eric finally spoke after a few minutes of moving around the room. “I just miss them, especially when they’re gone. It doesn’t seem fair to be left alone up here even though I know the sea is not where I belong.”

With a shrug, Carlotta merely asked, “Who’s to say you don’t belong there?” Before Eric could respond, she continued. “I may not know much about the world that Ariel comes from and I don’t believe that you do either. But Ariel knows everything about it and Melody learned quickly. I agree, it doesn’t seem fair at all. That world became part of yours once you married Ariel. It became even more of yours when you two had Melody. With all of the fighting for protection against land dwellers that you do for them, it wouldn’t hurt your father-in-law to let you visit with the girls every now and then.” 

Eric sat back down in his office chair and sighed. “Ariel learned everything about my world. I’m so glad that she did, as well. That I got to keep her with me. Yet…” He paused, trying to find his words. It wasn’t that he was afraid to speak his mind in front of Carlotta. What he wanted to do was gather his thoughts enough to make a coherent sentence. “I love Ariel and Melody with everything in me. I want to know everything about them that I can, and that includes their world. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“You have changed, Eric.” Eric raised an eyebrow at Carlotta, curious as to what she meant. She continued walking around the room, fixing things up, as she spoke. “I recall a boy, about eighteen or nineteen years old, who was rowing out to sea to fight some ocean monstrosity. ‘I’ve lost her once, Grim! I’m not going to lose her again!’” Carlotta smiled at the memory before turning to Eric. “All of that to show Ariel how much you loved her and now you just seem so… Lazy! It’s like you have given up, Eric! Give it a shot and ask King Triton. The girls would love to be surprised!” 

Eric thought on her words and felt a smile growing on his face. A fire had been ignited within him and the challenge he had felt when saving Ariel all of those years ago was now back. Without hesitation, he stood up and hugged Carlotta tight. “Thank you, Carlotta. I love you so much.” He stepped back so she could see his smile. “Thank you so much for being the mother I never had. I don’t think you will ever know how much I appreciate it.”

Carlotta made sure to smile back at Eric as she reached up and patted his cheek. “I know that, Eric. You have always been like the son I never had.” She moved away to pick up the basket of clothes that she had set down once she had entered the office. “Now, go surprise those two wonderful women of yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in my tags, this is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net underneath the username Maryanne Jarvey. I wanted to revisit the story and update it both in how it is written and the story itself. Ten years will hopefully bring quite a bit of change.


End file.
